Amazon.com
Thirty years after self-help workshop pioneer Werner Erhard started hosting his EST seminars, people still hotly debate the authenticity of Erhard's teachings. The historical background of this controversy and the fundamental beliefs behind EST are well explained in Transformation, a documentary that stars Erhard alongside many prominent scientists, philosophers, activists, and actors who were influenced both positively and negatively by this movement. Tracing EST's relationships to 1960s counterculture, Eastern mysticism, and even Scientology, Transformation seeks to defend and redeem Erhard, who was the subject of positive and negative media attention in the U.S. before he left the country in the early 1990s. Interviews with critics and journalists who reflect on the movement's weaknesses intelligently illustrate how sensationalism has deemphasized Erhard's positive messages of personal freedom, regardless of his sketchy personal past. Interviews with George Leonard of Esalen, as well as the founders of The Hunger Project and Landmark Education, discuss Erhard's indisputably far-reaching influence. The strength of this documentary lies in its effort to transcend previous media bashing in order to express Erhard's flawed but ultimately philanthropic yearnings, and his influence in non-profit and business sectors. Regardless of whether one subscribes to EST's tenets or relegates it to passé cult status, Transformation is worth a viewing as it highlights an ambitious global effort that has indirectly inspired countless contemporary self-help gurus, from Deepak Chopra to Dr. Phil. --Trinie Dalton
